Cheap Sushi Series -- Kabuki

Another great sushi place is Kabuki, which was recently voted best Happy Hour for 2008 by Pasadena Weekly (there are several locations with one right here in the Valley.) The sushi menu for happy hour has great prices along with quality fish. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kabuki serves up a variety of treats for under $5.

Their happy hour appetizers range from broiled mussels to salmon rollers, gyoza dumplings (pot-stickers) and “fire cracker” (two scoops of spicy tuna served alongside crunchy chips) costs $3.95 for the simpler items to $4.95 for the fire cracker, calamari rings, and sesame chicken.

Fire Cracker

The fire cracker had a spicy kick that creeps up on unsuspecting taste buds and the chips that are served with them have a nice crunch to contrast the soft tuna.

The gyoza’s were fried perfectly, sitting on a light sauce with a beautiful bunch of fresh greens to garnish.

Gyoza (Potstickers)

Kabuki’s salmon sushi is fresh and much bigger than at Sushi Mac’s which resembles closer to real Japanese food, meaning smaller portions compared to Kabuki’s imitation of Western style super-sized meals. The spicy tuna roll was great for the price, also bigger then rolls found at Sushi Mac.

Salmon Sushi

A happy hour menu wouldn’t be complete without drinks since they are the main course for most happy hour attendees. Their specialty drinks are very fruity and disguises the alcohol well, for those who do not particularly enjoy the taste. The “Red Cheeni” is a must have, with Japanese vodka, Lychee liqueur, and pomegranate juice, it’s absolutely divine.

Red Cheeni